MobileRead Forums
Register Guidelines E-Books Today's Posts Search

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Kobo Reader
Reload this Page Desktop App Where are Kobo books on my PC ?

Notices

Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 06-13-2021, 12:56 AM   #1
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
Where are Kobo books on my PC ?
Sorry for a very basic question.

I am expecting the delivery or my first reader, a Kobo Libra H2O. I have downloaded the Kobo Desktop program on my PC, created a Kobo account, "bought" a free Kobo book, and started kicking the tyres to get a feel of the environment.

I'm able to read this book on my PC, through Kobo Desktop.

However, I don't understand where it is. Am I reading it online, on Kobo's site ? Can I download it on my PC ?

I have searched for the relevant epub file on my computer, but I haven't found it.

Is it there ? Where ? Can I open it like an ordinary epub file, or is it in some special format ?

Thank you in advance.
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2021, 04:48 AM   #2
bookaho!ic
Evangelist
bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.bookaho!ic ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
bookaho!ic's Avatar
 
Posts: 466
Karma: 5575734
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
Device: kobo Aura H20 2nd Ed
HI you can attach the reader when you get it to the desktop and open kobo desktop and download through there or the way i do it is have adobe digital editions (ADE) on the pc. download the ascm file (a free ebook may not have that) for the book you have bought (i have mine set to open autiomatically in ADE and connect your reader via cable to the pc and drag and drop from ADE to the reader - the books will also be stored on your pc in a folder called my digital editions
bookaho!ic is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 06-13-2021, 04:55 AM   #3
Uncle Robin
Diligent dilettante
Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Uncle Robin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Uncle Robin's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,661
Karma: 52758936
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: in my mind
Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra Colour
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Sorry for a very basic question.

I am expecting the delivery or my first reader, a Kobo Libra H2O. I have downloaded the Kobo Desktop program on my PC, created a Kobo account, "bought" a free Kobo book, and started kicking the tyres to get a feel of the environment.

I'm able to read this book on my PC, through Kobo Desktop.

However, I don't understand where it is. Am I reading it online, on Kobo's site ? Can I download it on my PC ?

I have searched for the relevant epub file on my computer, but I haven't found it.

Is it there ? Where ? Can I open it like an ordinary epub file, or is it in some special format ?

Thank you in advance.

Try looking in C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub\
Uncle Robin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2021, 05:30 AM   #4
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
On Windows, the Kobo desktop application downloads the books to "c:\users\username\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub". The books downloaded are kepubs and might have DRM. The filenames are identifiers rather than names and the files do not have extensions. If you intend to add the books to calibre, you are better to use the Obok plugin that is part of the DRM removal tools.

You can also download the book from the Kobo store. In this case, it will be the epub. For books with DRM, ADE will be used to download the book. For DRM free books, the epub will be downloaded directly.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2021, 08:36 AM   #5
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
On Windows, the Kobo desktop application downloads the books to "c:\users\username\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub". The books downloaded are kepubs and might have DRM. The filenames are identifiers rather than names and the files do not have extensions. If you intend to add the books to calibre, you are better to use the Obok plugin that is part of the DRM removal tools.

You can also download the book from the Kobo store. In this case, it will be the epub. For books with DRM, ADE will be used to download the book. For DRM free books, the epub will be downloaded directly.
Thank you to all who answered.

I did find a number of files in

c:\users\username\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub

and indeed they look like this :

466ba9fd-0ade-4a4d-a9e3-1ab932c417f5 (no extension name)

I do use Calibre and will follow your advice in due course, but for the time being, I would like to understand what those files are. What is a kepub ? Is it a proprietary format only readable by a Kobo reader or app ?

Do I understand correctly that you don't get the same file if you synchronize from Kobo Desktop and if you download from the website ? (There does not seem to be a Download command in Kobo Desktop.)

I tried to download that free book from the site, and all I got was a file called URLLink.acsm (not an .epub), which cannot be opened by any of the ebook readers installed on my PC. Is this the type of file which can only be opened by Adobe Digital Editions ?

What I'm trying to do, is make sure any books I have bought from Kobo (or retrieved as free books) reside on my PC, and not only on Kobo's server ; that I can read them even if Kobo goes bust some day ; or if they don't like me anymore and close my account for whatever reason (or none) ; or if they try to zap my books from a distance with a huge laser beam (or something).

Is this possible ?
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 06-13-2021, 07:48 PM   #6
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
This is disconcerting. I had posted a reply, thanking all contributors, and asking a follow-up question. It has disappeared.

Then I received a new notification, about a former reply I had already been notified about.

Did I break some rule ?
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2021, 07:00 AM   #7
DiapDealer
Grand Sorcerer
DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DiapDealer's Avatar
 
Posts: 28,486
Karma: 204127028
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Did I break some rule ?
No. Your post was stuck in moderation. That will stop happening once you get a few more posts under your belt.
DiapDealer is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2021, 08:52 AM   #8
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Thank you to all who answered.

I did find a number of files in

c:\users\username\AppData\Local\Kobo\Kobo Desktop Edition\kepub

and indeed they look like this :

466ba9fd-0ade-4a4d-a9e3-1ab932c417f5 (no extension name)

I do use Calibre and will follow your advice in due course, but for the time being, I would like to understand what those files are. What is a kepub ? Is it a proprietary format only readable by a Kobo reader or app ?
Yes, it is Kobo's format. But, it is just an epub with some extra spans. If you add the extension .epub, you can try and open it with an epub reader. That works if the book does not have DRM. If the book does have DRM, it might open, but, it will not be readable.
Quote:
Do I understand correctly that you don't get the same file if you synchronize from Kobo Desktop and if you download from the website ? (There does not seem to be a Download command in Kobo Desktop.)
Correct. The publisher supplies the book to Kobo. They process it to create the kepub and upload the epub elsewhere for downloading. If the publisher updates the book, it doesn't necessarily go to both versions.
Quote:
I tried to download that free book from the site, and all I got was a file called URLLink.acsm (not an .epub), which cannot be opened by any of the ebook readers installed on my PC. Is this the type of file which can only be opened by Adobe Digital Editions ?
That means the book has Adobe DRM and needs to be downloaded using ADE. The URLLink.acsm is used by ADE to fetch the actual book.
Quote:
What I'm trying to do, is make sure any books I have bought from Kobo (or retrieved as free books) reside on my PC, and not only on Kobo's server ; that I can read them even if Kobo goes bust some day ; or if they don't like me anymore and close my account for whatever reason (or none) ; or if they try to zap my books from a distance with a huge laser beam (or something).
Either version of the book will work for that. It really is just which method you prefer.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2021, 07:37 AM   #9
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
Thank you for your answer and sorry for being late. I did not get a notification.

I have now installed ADE, and indeed, that free Kobo book I acquired has DRM nonetheless.

Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
Correct. The publisher supplies the book to Kobo. They process it to create the kepub and upload the epub elsewhere for downloading. If the publisher updates the book, it doesn't necessarily go to both versions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
Either version of the book will work for that. It really is just which method you prefer.
Could you please clarify what those two versions are ? I'm not sure I understand correctly.
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2021, 12:05 PM   #10
DNSB
Bibliophagist
DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DNSB ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DNSB's Avatar
 
Posts: 45,266
Karma: 168808723
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Vancouver
Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Could you please clarify what those two versions are ? I'm not sure I understand correctly.
The copy that you sync from Kobo to your Kobo ereader or a Kobo desktop application is a .kepub.epub with the extra spans, etc., the copy that you either download from Kobo using either a direct download for DRM free ebooks or ADE for DRM encumbered ebooks is an .epub.
DNSB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-21-2021, 08:06 PM   #11
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Thank you for your answer and sorry for being late. I did not get a notification.

I have now installed ADE, and indeed, that free Kobo book I acquired has DRM nonetheless.
Cost of the book and whether it has DRM are not really related. It is less likely for a free book to have DRM, and more likely for book you paid for to have DRM, but, it is the publisher and author that decides whether to put DRM on the book. From what I have seen, all books from a publisher will either have DRM or not have DRM.


Quote:
Could you please clarify what those two versions are ? I'm not sure I understand correctly.
You can get a kepub version downloaded to directly to the device or through the Kobo desktop application. And you can download an epub version from your library in the Kobo store. The kepub is created from an epub. But, it is not necessarily made from the same version of the epub that you can download.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2021, 02:52 PM   #12
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB View Post
The copy that you sync from Kobo to your Kobo ereader or a Kobo desktop application is a .kepub.epub with the extra spans, etc., the copy that you either download from Kobo using either a direct download for DRM free ebooks or ADE for DRM encumbered ebooks is an .epub.
Thank you, that's very clear now. And I suppose this means you must decide about the comparative advantages of the two formats, as explained here and debated here... Are those comparisons still valid ?
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2021, 02:55 PM   #13
Odessa
Enthusiast
Odessa began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: France
Device: Kobo Libra H2O
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
The kepub is created from an epub. But, it is not necessarily made from the same version of the epub that you can download.
I got it. It's much less simple than what Kobo suggests at first sight...
Odessa is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2021, 09:01 PM   #14
davidfor
Grand Sorcerer
davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.davidfor ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 24,905
Karma: 47303824
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Sydney, Australia
Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos
Quote:
Originally Posted by Odessa View Post
Thank you, that's very clear now. And I suppose this means you must decide about the comparative advantages of the two formats, as explained here and debated here... Are those comparisons still valid ?
Both of those lists of advantages and disadvantages for epubs and kepubs are out of date. Recent firmware has headers and footers for both formats that can be hidden. The header can show the chapter progress and the footer the full book progress.

The differences I can think of are:

Page numbering: Kepubs treat each screen as a page which means the number of pages changes with the font settings. Epubs use the Adobe page algorithm which means that the page numbers do not change with font settings, and if exactly the same epub is read on other devices or apps that use the Adobe RMSDK, the page numbering might be the same.

In book stats: Kepubs have a nice popup showing a graph of the chapter lengths with were you are in them, time left in this chapter, expected time for the next chapter and the whole book.

Footnotes: For kepubs, footnotes will display in a popup. For epubs, they are a link and take you to the page with the footnotes.

Images: Kepubs can zoom images by double-tapping them.

Peformance: Kepubs are faster for page turning, but, the difference is not as much as in the past. Highlighting in kepubs is also faster, but again, the difference is not as much as before.

Typography: Epubs handle this better. But, it is one of those things where either you care a lot about or you wonder what all the fuss is about.


Honestly, the best thing to do is to try them. Some people swear by one format, and others the other format. The typography and the page numbering are probably what get argues about the most. Though the page numbering methods is a more general topic of disagreement. Personally, I use both. I do read a lot from Kobo, so use kepubs for that. When I sideload, I tend to use epub, but, I like the chapter graph when reading, so will sideload as kepub when I feel like it.
davidfor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-23-2021, 06:01 AM   #15
John F
Grand Sorcerer
John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.John F ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 7,886
Karma: 70186493
Join Date: Feb 2009
Device: Kobo Clara 2E
Quote:
Originally Posted by davidfor View Post
...

The differences I can think of are:

...

Footnotes: For kepubs, footnotes will display in a popup. For epubs, they are a link and take you to the page with the footnotes.

...
Are epub footnotes still hard to select?
John F is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 2 1 2

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Transferring books from Kobo Aura H2O to Kobo Libra H20 gfeps Kobo Reader 16 09-24-2020 01:45 AM
A Noobs Guide to Borrowing E-Library Books and Installing non Kobo Bookstore Books bamelin Kobo Reader 17 01-07-2012 04:11 PM
New Calibre Kobo Driver allows deleting of Kobo Free books timlegge Kobo Reader 46 08-27-2011 10:16 PM
Free books (Kobo) - 20 Dorchester Publishing Books (Romance, Horror, Thriller etc.) ATDrake Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 15 09-24-2010 07:01 PM
Two free books (kobo) from Francesca Lia Block [BOOKS DELETED BY AUTHOR] koland Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 11 04-08-2010 06:03 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:02 PM.

Contact Us - FAQ - Guidelines - Privacy - Top

MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.